Ask A Genius 1319: The Pope, Fascism, and Church-Adjacent Collectibles
Author(s): Rick Rosner and Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Ask A Genius
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/03/25
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: How should we think of the Pope in his valedictory period? Do we see him in the context of his history, or is it something else?
Rick Rosner: I like him because he used to be a bouncer, and he seems like a cool guy. At the same time, he hasn’t been entirely consistent. He says a lot of good things—certainly better than many others before him—but there’s a consistent inconsistency to it. When he’s on, he trends toward socially conscious perspectives that might motivate people to do good things. So, more good than bad—but still, some bad.
Jacobsen: That’s good.
Rosner: Because I collect a lot of church-adjacent shit.
Jacobsen: Church-adjacent shit?
Rosner: Micromosaics. That’s on the nose.
Jacobsen: That is the nose.
Rosner: Yes. So much of my collection is from Rome. A lot of it was sold probably within two miles of the Vatican. Some of the later stuff was made under fascism, because Italy went fascist in 1922. yet, Rome was still a huge tourist hub.
I saw an interview today with a group of old-school Spanish journalists. They were talking about Franco.
Rosner: He held onto power into the seventies—with his fascism still intact.
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